Stories Written By: Rennie Hand
Polyester Trouser Suits
Polyester was the main man made fabric used in the textile industry in the mid 70s, certainly most disco outfits and shirts were made of it but formal wear was designed and made with it. These trouser suits are made from woven polyester and have the classic french cut and beautiful flares.
Angora Look Outfits
The Angora look became quite fashionable in the mid 70s giving the dresses and skirts a real luxury soft look and feel. These items here were mostly made from synthetic materials but 13% was actually rabbit hair. These dresses use the trend of elasticated cuffs and the rust dress shows us the latest fashion of the scarf look collar which knots at the front. A fine pair of nostagic 70s dresses.
Trench Coats
Trench coats had been around for decades but women started to adapt them into high fashion items using all the mod cons and fabrics of the 70s creating all new stylish trends. This singlebreasted trench coat is a fine example made in a wider width cord and featuring the most popular fashion points of the mid 70s. A simulated fur collar, shaped revers, and mock gun flaps and finished off with a tied belt.
Chokers
What on earth is a choker, I hear you ask? Well, chokers were all the rage in the 1970s but despite the sinister sounding name, this was just a close fitting necklace worn high on the neck like a collar. Funnily enough, this was not a new idea and does have macabre origins. The first references to chokers dates from 18th century France when the aristocratic lords and ladies who had escaped to London had a craze for wearing a thin, usually red coloured choker around their necks as a fashion statement about the guillotine. Sacre Bleu! However, in the …
More….
Harrington Jackets
Got your sta press trousers on? How about your Ben Sherman shirt and Dr Marten Boots? Harrington jackets were popular with the skinhead brigade in the 1970s and also the later Mod revival. These smart waist length lightweight jackets were made of cotton or polyester and came in a variety of colours. They were the type of jacket your mum would call a windcheater. The brightly coloured check or tartan lining was an important part of the appeal. The Harrington jacket was not a new invention. This jacket, also called a G9 has been manufactured by a British clothing company …
More….
Floppy Hats
Any look at a 1970s wedding photo will show a lot of the women wearing wide brimmed floppy hats in a wild variety of styles and colours. However, in the stylish 70s, hats were not only worn once for weddings and then stored in the back of the wardrobe. Back in the day, lots of women wore floppy hats as part of their usual look and often kept a hat selection for different outfits. Very occasionally men wore them too although this look was not as popular in the UK as it was in the States where the male floppy …
More….
Ponchos
Triangular shaped knitted cape worn over your clothes with a hole for your head. The sort of thing you saw Mexican peasants in films wearing, sometimes with a sombrero hat. In the 1970s, the poncho was a craze and everyone was wearing them from schoolgirls to mature ladies. Not everyone liked them. My Dad used to put on a pretend Mexican accent whenever my mum wore hers, and she would get annoyed with him. Although Mexican men in westerns wore ponchos, this fashion was strictly for the ladies. A big question today must be where did these bizarre fashion ideas …
More….
Men’s Jewellery
The 70s was the decade where men started connecting with their feminine side, although my Dad said the glam rockers on Top of the Pops were a load of nancy boys who wouldn’t have lasted two minutes in the War. As well as the emergence of glam rock, this decade saw an explosion in the amount of men wearing jewellery for the first time. Wedding rings for men started becoming popular mid 70s, as well as amulets, bracelets and beads. The hippy contingent started wearing strange ethnic tokens such as Moroccan beads tied on a piece of leather. (Goulamine beads) …
More….
Dr Scholls Sandals
Women’s wooden sole slip on sandals designed as exercise sandals that came in a variety of colours. These health sandals were so popular in the 1970s it seemed as if every one was wearing them in summer. A nightmare to break in. The first few days could be agony until you got used to them. The fashion for wearing Dr Scholls exercise sandals was one of the bizarre fads of the early 70s. Fashion is not usually known as doing you good, yet these simple wooden shoes apparently had medical benefits for people suffering with back pain and helped to …
More….
Cowboy Boots
Short leather boots decorated with ornate stitching. Like the sort of boots that cowboys wore in Westerns. Cowboy boots were hugely fashionable and were worn by both men and women. By the mid 70s so many people were wearing cowboy boots, a disco could look like more like a Hicksville hoe down than a nightclub – slight exaggeration! The boots varied. You could find cowboy boots that finished at the ankle, mid calf length or even those that went right up to the knee. You could wear them under your trousers for a subtle look, or tuck your trousers into …
More….
